What book/movie would make a great musical? — Page 3

I've always thought Eternal Sunshine could be made into an amazing stage show. Lots to play with there, especially with the nonlinear storytelling. And commercially viable (story about love, loss, etc.). Maybe Krysta Rodriguez as Clementine?

The Passion of the Christ

I know it's been tried but I'd love to see a good musical version of "The Far Pavilions."

Also I think a musical version of "A Handmaid's Tale" would be interesting.

This is a TV show, but I've always thought that Designing Women would make a great musical.

The miniseries "Over the Garden Wall"

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery. I'm pretty sure they've tried this once…?

Mr Roxy said: "We do have to realize not every movie can or should be made into a musical."

Well, I think the OP's question presupposes this; otherwise, the answer would be an uninformative "all of them!" :)

Anyhow, here are my choices:

• Chocolat
• A Better Life
• Last Night (the apocalyptic 1998 Canadian film)

I've been saying this for years, Boogie Nights would make for a very interesting musical. Large ensemble cast, period piece spanning multiple decades, specific subculture; it's perfect for a musical. After Avenue Q, Book of Mormon, and Oh Calcutta! I think Broadway is ready for a comedy-drama-porno show.





Thanks to 9/11 we never got a chance to have an Earth Girls Are Easy musical. It was workshopped with Chenoweth, Marc Kudisch, Hunter Foster, Deven May, and Julie Brown reprising her role as Candy. They took a similar approach to the score as American Psycho has now, half original songs and half 80s hits. Hopefully someday someone gives it another shot.

Billy Wilder movies have made decent fodder for musicals (Sunset Blvd, Some Like it Hot, The Apartment). Maybe Avanti or Kiss Me Stupid?

I'd love to see a chamber opera based off of Solaris, I think the themes are perfect and the space/philosophical themes could lend themselves really well to an interesting, experimental musical style.

How about The Double Life Of Veronique? Again, great mood (odd/offbeat European feel) and music/performance is already a part of the plot (besides the actual singing bit, there's the butterfly sequence). I think in the right hands it could be a magical, subtle piece. Plus, everyone loves a dual-role show. The bit where she sees her doppelganger could be a stunning moment of theatrical trickery.

Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy would make a nice musical, but I'd also love to see a furious, fiery, shocking musical made of Naked. Pitch-black set, the main actor onstage from start to finish, grinding quartet providing accompaniment.

Another Leigh film that could be a lovely crowdpleaser is Life Is Sweet. Jaunty English-style music and lyrics, plenty of opportunity for charm (Broadbent's friend selling him on the trailer) and depth.

How about a musical adaptation of a Guy Maddin film? A bustling, haunting one-act of My Winnipeg, or a musically expanded Saddest Music In The World.

A chamber musical of Babette's Feast - a stark, pious opening number with chilling, moodily gorgeous harmonies, a humorous chatter song in which the village gossips about Babette's plans, a "hell scene" where the sisters have horrifying visions about the unchristian excess of the coming meal, a funny mime scene in which the diners try, and fail, to remain outwardly stoic about the eponymous feast, a beautiful 11-o-clock aria in which Babette fondly recalls her past. Earthy visuals, deep sea greens and warm, textured fabrics with very soft, intimate lighting.

A one-act about the life of Spalding Gray based on "And Everything Is Going Fine" with a heartbreaking finale that confronts the way we make stories from our own lives.

Coming back to this thread because I recently discovered a slice of cinema that time -- and most retrospectives of Eddie Murphy's career -- has forgotten: Harlem Nights.

Murphy executive produced, wrote, and directed this black comedy crime feature, in which he and Richard Pryor played a team running a nightclub in late-1930's Harlem while contending with gangsters and corrupt police officials. And there wasn't a slouch in the cast: Murphy, Pryor, Redd Foxx, Michael Lerner, Danny Aiello, Della Reese, to name just a few. It debuted at #1 its opening weekend, was Oscar-nominated, and had a fair gross, but compared to Murphy's previous string of hits (earning half what those made), it was a box office bomb. (Not very well received by the critics either; and, in the interest of honesty, the screenplay won a Razzie.)

A friend in the business recently shared a clip of the memorable fight between Murphy and Reese's characters, and I laughed so hard I fell on the floor and couldn't get up, which is an unusual reaction for me. Naturally, I tracked down the whole film, and gave it a watch. While I felt that the tone was a little inconsistent -- it seemed at times Murphy was unable to strike the right balance between humor (even dark humor) and drama -- it also struck me that this movie really sang in a way other gangster pieces don't. I'd like to see how it could work as a musical, perhaps with a period score utilizing similar sources to the film's soundtrack.